Hluthvar
This walled town on the Dusk Road in Sunset Vale lies in the shadow of Darkhold and is less a trading town than a fortress against the Zhentarim. The town’s mayor, magistrate, and military ruler is Maurandyr High Ward (priest) of the House of the Guardian, the local temple of Helm. Hluthvar was a local warrior-hero. The town that preserves his name now stands as the front-line wall against armies that would otherwise sweep down from Darkhold unchecked to raid at will up and down the Vale. In this vigilant stance, Maurandyr is financially supported by the Harpers, the Lords. Alliance, and other rulers and places in the Vale. This does not make Hluthvar a welcoming place to visit. Built of stone and slate to retard fires, it can muster a militia of over 70 well-trained and equipped warriors.one from nearly every family in town. Groups of them clad in plate mail can be seen practicing with swords and crossbows every day under the watchful eyes of priests. The temple also hires adventurers by the month at 100 gp per each to ride wide patrols around the town to keep watch on patrol groups and raiders out of Darkhold. .Put the dark ones to the sword whenever you can. is their standing order. Hluthvar is built like a giant wheel, with its streets as the spokes and the rim and a large open market as the central hub. The north’south ‘spoke. of the wheel is missing. On the north side of the market stands the House of the Guardian (with a large buy/sell/trade livery stable and the militia armory north of it), and on the south side stands a wagonwain’s shop and the sole inn in town, the Watchful Eye. The temple maintains a stable of milk cows and a chicken house (both easily located by the smell). The priests.who always go armed. stride about like sword captains, giving orders as if the town were at war. Rental space warehouses ring and flank these important buildings. The rest of the town consists of seven covered wells, a few shops, and homes. The wells are set up as small, defensible keeps topped by onagers that can hurl stones at attackers outside the city walls. Every roof and every cellar is planted for growing mushrooms or root crops. To discourage drunkenness, there’s no tavern, and visitors to town who stray from the inn or local market are viewed as little better than spies. Most folk in Hluthvar work deep in their cellars, delving ever deeper in search of gold, which is plentiful in the rock hereabouts, and perhaps Netherese or other ruins below. Some 30 winters ago, someone did break through into an old dwarven hold, and it’s now provisioned as a safehold for the townsfolk to retreat to if Hluthvar is overrun. The folk of Hluthvar have lived with fear of the Zhentarim for a long time, but right now they.re wrestling with a new fear. Their revered leader, Maurandyr, may be going mad. Several times recently he’s fainted or spoken and acted strangely. Some say these incidents are the result of the strain of command. Others whisper they are signs of the displeasure of Helm or. and this is the dark opinion of most. caused by some sort of magical assault from the evil Zhentarim wizards. I recommend travelers avoid Hluthvar except as a secure place to stay a single night on the road before moving on. The temple rents stark and simply furnished rooms at 10 gp a head to those who don’t want to stay at the inn. Sights are few, joy even rarer, and prospects for trade slim. Hluthvar needs more of everything, and has little to give in return. Life here is as good an argument for destroying the Zhentarim as anything I’ve seen or heard anywhere in the Coast lands. Places of Interest in Hluthvar Temples *The House of the Guardian This temple to Helm resembles a keep. It has its own moat and spiked iron fence.which can be electrified by spells in the event of attack, I.m told. along with ballistae and armories inside. The uppermost chamber is a stark chancel, the altar being an upright sword, the unblinking eye of Helm glowing on its pommel. Over 20 warrior-priests dwell here, working ceaselessly by spell and training in arms to strengthen Hluthvar as ‘the wall against the darkness.. They are grim folk, always alert for spies, weaknesses, and ways in which they can deal harm to the forces of Darkhold. Shops *Trist’s Saddles and Stables Mounts and Tack *Irythimm Trist is a sharp-nosed, watchful man who drives a hard bargain but avoids all deceit. If you buy a mount or pack animal from him, you.ll get exactly as good a beast as he says you will.all-in-all, a rare and precious thing. *Veloth’s Fine Wagons and Repairs Wagons, Wheels, and Repairs *Uln Veloth is a man of exaggeration, histrionics, and hand-wringing. He can never do what you want in the scant time you give him.but always does. His skilled craftspeople grin at his wailing a lot and calmly turn out top-quality wagons, wheels, axles, and overnight repairs. Fees are stiff, and payable up front, but the work is sturdy. Inns *The Watchful Eye The Watchful Eye is a cheerless place that serves stolid food and watereddown beer. It has shutters and a roof and not much else. Its one virtue is that it’s quiet.almost too quiet, like the calm before a vicious storm. Still, you can definitely fall asleep easily here if the hard beds don’t keep you awake. Category:Small cities Category:Settlements in Sunset Vale